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Twitter mocks Trump over social media silence

Francisco PerezFebruary 2, 2016

Following the results of the Iowa Caucus that saw him come second to Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Donald Trump was uncharacteristically silent on social media. His opponents lashed out on Twitter.

https://p.dw.com/p/1HoFI
US Wahlen Parteikonferenz in Iowa Caucus Donald Trump
Image: Reuters/J. Bourg

Donald J. Trump is not usually one to shy away from social media, nor has he minced his words since he joined the Republican race for the presidential nomination.

However, for almost the entire day following the results of the Republican Caucus in Iowa, which saw him finish three points behind winner Ted Cruz, Trump kept unusually silent on social media, prompting many users to mock him online.

On Twitter, the real-estate giant was inactive for close to 16 hours, an eternity according to his his standards. Users were quick to notice Trump‘s absence, an unusually long period of silence:

The sentence "Where is trump?“ was being used repeatedly on Twitter where, clearly relishing his defeat, his opponents even turned some of his own catchphrases from his time hosting "The Apprentice" against him.

Some users searched through Trump’s old tweets, finding one where he quoted former professional golfer Walter Hagen (1892 – 1969) as saying "No one remembers who came in second," posted in December 2013.

Seizing the irony, twitter users and many media outlets widely shared the tweet.

It took Trump close to 16 hours to break the silence. Upon his return to Twitter, he started by congratulating himself for what he feels was a "great" experience in Iowa.

In his second post, the Iowa runner-up also tried to explain his failure to win the caucus, claiming he did not spend as much time as his rivals in the Hawkeye State because he was told he "could not do well."

Trump has just under a week to recover before the next Republican primary vote, which will take place in the north-eastern state of New-Hampshire, on February 9.